Cart with adjustable handle



United States Patent [72] inventor [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented Stanley W. Yoder 4805 Crestwood Drive, Little Rock, Arkansas 72207 Aug. 7, 1968 Dec. 8, 1970 [54] CART WITH ADJUSTABLE HANDLE 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl. 280/4724, 248/4: 287/ l 4 [51] Int.Cl. B62b 1/02 [50] FieldofSearch 280/47, 24, 17(OMC), 37; 248/4; 287/14, 99

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 602,600 4/1898 Green 287/14 2,450,304 9/1948 Shiflet.. 280/47.24UX 2,761,691 9/1956 George..... 280/47.37X 2,884,257 4/1959 Menne 280/(0MC1 2,916,292 12/1959 Olson 280/47.24X

2,957,700 10/1960 Beaurline 280/47.24X

3,026,105 3/1962 Christiarison 248/4X 3,423,103 1/1969 Maltarp 280/47.37 FOREIGN PATENTS 452,544 11/1948 Canada 280/(OMC) Primary ExaminerBanjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-John A. Pekar Attorney-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee & Utecht ABSTRACT: A two-wheeled carriage and storage can for outboard motors and the like having a tubular upright frame with a forwardly extending base portion, and an outboard motor mount attached to the upright frame. The cart has an adjustable pivotally mounted handle attached to the upper portion of the upright frame by a cam lock comprising two opposing crown collars, connected by an axial fastener, and which cooperate with an eccentric clamping lever and a spring for moving the collars into and out of engagement.

CART wrm ADJUSTABLE HANDLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. The field of this invention lies within the art of material handling carts and in particular a cart constructed and adapted to handle outboard motors and the like.

2. Outboard motor boats are generally powered by a portable outboard motor which has a motor and propeller strut. It is customary to. remove such outboard motors from small boats when they are docked or raised out of the water to prevent the motor from being exposed to the elements, and damaged during handling of the boat. To move and store the outboard mo tor, it is sometimes customary for people to employ an outboard motor cart.

The outboard motor carts of the prior art are unwieldy and hard to balance because of the relationship of the center of gravity of the motor on the cart with respect to the leverage applied by a person handling the cart. This invention provides a cart which may bceasilybalanced by a handle having an easily operated and reliable handle attachment and adjustment device. The construction of the attachment and adjustment device is also used for attaching handles to various other carts, and hand'truck's, to provide an improved attachment and greater flexibility of use.

The control apparatus, motorhousing and propeller strut of an outboard motor should be protected from surrounding objects when being stored and transported. This invention provides protection against such damage by supporting the motor in a protective frame in spaced relationship from surrounding objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The cart of this invention has an upright tubular frame with a forwardly extending base portion which supports the cart in an upright position as well as protecting the propeller strut. An outboard motor clamp-receiving member supports the motor within a protective frame, to avoid damage from surrounding objects.

The cart has a pivotally adjustable handle which provides leverage for overcoming the weight distribution of the motor on the cart, and adjustment to suit the physical characteristics of the person wheeling the cart. When the handle is in the fully extended position, it provides a protective frame to the motor housing and controls, as well as a skid for ease of handling and loading the cart with a motor into the trunk of a car.

The handle is attached to the upright frame by a cam lock. The cam lock employs an axial fastener for connecting two oppositely engaging crown collars which are spring separated and respectively afiixed to the handle and frame. The collars are easily engaged and disengaged by movement of an eccentn'c clamping lever. Thus, the handle attached to the fastener is readily maintained in the angular relationship into which it has been moved.

The present inventionprovides a readily moved and stored outboard motor can which serves to support and protect the outboard motor from impingement against surrounding objects. The invention further provides a cam lock which has broad application to many carts and hand trucks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outboard motor cart embodying this invention with a motor clamped to the cart. A broken line representation shows the cart handle in an upright position; 7

FIG. 2 is a fragmented sectional plan view of the handle attachment device in a locked position taken inthe direction of the arrow2ofFlG. l;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented sectional view of the handle attachment device in an unlocked position permitting angular adjustment of the handle; 7

FIG. 4 is a fragmented sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the elements of the handle attachment device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT The invention, as seen in FIG. 1, provides a hand cart 10 which may be used for storing and carrying an outboard motor 12, attached to the cart by motor clamps 13 which are clamped onto a motor mount 14.

The motor mount 14 is at a sufficient height to hold the motor in an upright position above a horizontal surface to prevent impingement of the propeller strut against the ground. The portability as well as the protection of the outboard motor 12 is enhanced by a pivotal handle 16 which can be angularly adjusted with respect to the cart 10 by means of two handle attachment devices in the form of cam locks 18. The broken line representation of the handle 16 in the upright extended position shows the handle acting as a protecting frame around the outboard motor 12 when the cart is in either an upright or horizontal position. The handle 16, when locked in the upright position, also serves as a skid enabling a person to slide and lift the cart 10 with the motor 12 into the hunk of a car. The pivotal handle 16 compensates for the height of a person and the center of gravity of the load, so that difierent degrees of leverage may be applied at the handle to the cart 10 by merely actuating the cam lock 18 and adjusting the handle.

To provide support to the outboard motor 12 as well as a protective frame for the motor and propeller strut, the cart 10 has an upright frame 20 with a forwardly extending base frame 22. The upright frame 20 and the base frame 22 are preferably formed from a single U-shaped tubular structure. The tubular structure is bent forwardly from the base of the U to form the base frame 22 and is bent upwardly from the base frame to form the upright frame 20. Thus, the upright frame 20 and the base frame 22 are easily manufactured and comprise an integral unitized structure which enhances the rigidity and strength of the cart 10.

A rigidifying crossbrace 24 is affixed to the upper portion of the upright frame 20 by two pairs of bolts 26. The crossbrace 24 not only serves to brace and rigidify the tubular members of the upright frame 20, but provides a member to which the outboard motor mount 14 may be attached. The mount 14 is attached to the crossbrace 24 with the plane of the mount at a similar angle to the plane of a boat transom to which the motor 12 would be mounted, and at a height which supports the motor 12 above the surface upon which the cart 10 is standing.

To provide a load-bearing member to help support the weight of the motor 12 an upstanding strut 28 is affixed to the mount 14 by a bracket 30 and a bolt 32. The lower end of the strut 28 is affixed to the base frame 22 by any suitable means.

A pair of wheels 38 for rolling the cart 10, are rotatably mounted on an axle 40 supported by a pair of triangular plates 42 extending between the upright frame 20 and the forwardlyextending base frame 22. The triangular plates 42 provide supporting members for the axle 40, as well as reinforcing the upright frame 20 and the base frame 22 for improved rigidity of the cart 10. I

The handle 16 is adjusted to any suitable angle with respect to the upright frame 20 by means of the cam lock 18. The cam lock 18 comprises a fixed member 44 attached to the upright frame 20, and a movable member 45 which is attached to the handle 16. An eye bolt 46 connects the members 44 and 45 which respectively include opposing crown collars 47 and 48. The opposing crown collars 47 and 48 are urged out of engagement with each other by a spring 49, and are moved into radial locking engagement by an eccentric-clamping lever 50.

Specifically, the fixed member 44 of the cam lock 18 is affixed to the upright frame 20 by means of machine screws 51 which pass through the frame and are screwed into threaded bosses 52 within an upright bracket 54 forming part of the fixed member 44.

The upright bracket 54 has a concave surface curvature corresponding to the outside curvature of the upright frame 20 and is reinforced by two longitudinal webs 56. The upper portion of the upright bracket 54 has-a horizontal plate 58 5 which has a semicircular upright wall 60 extending from the outer edge region of the horizontal plate, and an axial hole 62 passes through the upright wall. The outer face of the upright wall 60 has radially extending lands and grooves radiating from the axial hole 62 which form the fixed crown collar 47. The upright wall 60 is reinforced along its back side by a pair of webs 64.

The movable member 45 comprises a ribbed tubular portion 66 which seats in the handle 16. The tubular portion 66 terminates at an end plate 68 which has an upright wall 70 extending from its edge region, with the outer face forming the movable crown collar 48.-

The crown collar 48 has radially extending lands and grooves which correspond to the lands and grooves of the fixed crown collar 47 of the fixed member 44. A pair of parallel walls 72 extend from the end plate 68 perpendicular to the wall 70, and have a pair of oppositely facing channels 74. A spring housing 76 having an outer wall 78 and an inner wall 80 projects into the space defined between the walls 72. The spring housing 76 has a backwall 82 with an axial hole 84 extending through the wall. A contact plate 86 with a hole 88 in axial relationship with the hole 84 is placed over the backwall 82.

The eye bolt 46 is secured at its threaded end by a nut 90 and interconnects the fixed member 44 to the movable member 45 by passing respectively through the hole 62, the spring 49, and the holes 84 and 88 of the contact plate 86. The eye of the bolt 46 has a pin 92 extending through it which connects the clamping lever 50 to the bolt, and guides the movement of the lever in the ways provided in the channels 74. The clamping lever 50 has an eccentric surface 94 which is forced against the plate 86 by the spring 49 urging the movable member 45 away from the fixed member 44. When the cam lock 18 is assembled, the spring 49 is compressed and tends to move the crown collars 47 and 48 apart. When the eccentric lever 50 is forced downwardly, the eccentric surface 94 which moves about the axis of the pin 92 urges the contact plate 86 inwardly which moves the movable member 45 against the fixed member 44, thus mutually engaging the crown collars 47 and 48.

From the foregoing it can be seen that this invention provides an outboard motor cart which is readily moved and easily adjusted to fit the physical characteristics of an individual moving an outboard motor which has been clamped to the cart. The cart provides a protective frame for the outboard motor so that the control apparatus and other portions of the motor will not be damaged by impingement against surrounding objects during transportation or storage of the outboard motor. It should also be appreciated that the earn lock may be used for other hand carts and trucks as well as outboard motor carts.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of this invention is to be deemed in no way limiting the invention as claimed.

lclaim:

l. A cart of the type adapted to support an outboard motor for storage and transportation, said cart comprising:

a frame including a pair of spaced tubular members extending vertically from a generally horizontal base;

a crossbrace secured to the upper portion of said frame and extending between said spaced members;

a handle pivotally attached to said spaced members adjacent the upper portion of said frame;

an angularly adjustable attachment device attaching said handle to said spaced members for locking said handle in selected positions extending laterally of said spaced members and in a position extending vertically in line with said spaced member thereby to provide a substantially continuous vertical frame from said base to the upper end of said handle;

a generally flat-sided and rectangular motor mount adapted to support said outboard motor, said mount being secured a to said frame in such a manner that said mount projects laterally of said crossbrace whereby said outboard motor when supported by said mount lies substantially completely on one side of the plane defined be said spaced members and the plane defined by said base; and

a pair of spaced wheels connected to said frame adjacent said base whereby said cart can be rolled.

2. A cart as defined in claim 1 wherein: said base comprises a horizontally disposed U-shaped tubular member having legs integrally connected to said spaced members and projecting laterally of said crossbrace below said mount; and a generally vertical strut extends between said base and said mount thereby to provide support for said mount.

3. A cart as defined in claim 1 wherein said attachment device comprises a cam lock assembly which includes: a fixed member attached to said frame and a movable member attached to said handle, said movable member being pivotally connected to, and movable relative to said fixed member; and cooperating crown collars carried by said fixed member and said movable member whereby said movable member can be held in radially locked position when said collars are engaged.

4. A cart as defined in claim 3 wherein said cam lock assembly further includes: a bolt extending through said collars thereby to pivotally connect said movable member with said fixed member; and an eccentric lever attached to one end of said bolt whereby when said lever is actuated, the eccentric thereof will urge the cooperating crowns of said collars into engagement.

5. A handle attachment for pivotally attaching a handle to a structural member of a cart comprising:

a first crown collar adapted to be affixed to said handle;

a second crown collar adapted to be affixed to said structural member in opposing juxtaposition with said first collar;

an eye bolt passing axially through said collars for pivotally connecting said collars and attaching said handle to said structural member in a manner permitting axial and rotational movement of said collars with respect to each other;

an eccentric-clamping lever pivotally connected to said bolt for displacement of at least one of said collars with respect to the other thereby to urge the crowns of said collars into engaging relationship for retaining said handle in a variety of angular positions with respect to said structural member;

a pin passing through the eye of said bolt for pivotally connecting said eccentric lever, said pin extending beyond said lever;

a pair of channels adjacent said pin for receiving the extended portions of said pin whereby said channels form guides as said one collar is displaced by said lever;

and spring means to maintainthe crowns of said collars out of engaging relationship until said lever displaces said one collar. 

